The Problem with Keeping Calm and Carrying On
by HecateA
Summary: If they weren't in the middle of a wizarding war, Oliver wouldn't have any problems with his boyfriend being perfectly alright and normal and pleasant. But they are and it all feels wrong.


**Author's note: **Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **The following characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and this story derives from her original works, storylines, and world. Please do not sue me, I can barely pay tuition.

**Hogwarts: **Assignment #2, Write about someone having a heated discussion.

**Dedication: **For Amanda over at Hogwarts Gift Tag!

**Warnings: **Couples fight; set during the Second Wizarding War (canon discrimination, torture, surveillance, missing persons…)

* * *

**The Problem with Keeping Calm and Carrying On **

Oliver couldn't explain exactly why today was the day that he snapped. He didn't know what about this day, about this meal they were sharing, or this story about Percy's job was so exceptional that it snapped his patience like a twig.

"Can we talk about something else?" Oliver interrupted, shoveling the next piece of his supper into his mouth with more force than he'd intended.

His boyfriend arched an eyebrow. He hated being interrupted, Oliver knew, but Oliver didn't care at the moment. He needed them to move on.

"Alright," Percy said, eyes flitting back down to his plate. "I mean, I've essentially been at work since dawn. If there's something you want to talk about, by all means bring it up, but that was my day."

"Then I don't want to hear about it," Oliver said.

Percy put his fork down on his plate.

"What's wrong?" Percy asked.

"You," Oliver said before he realized what he was saying.

Now that he'd said it out loud, opened the floodgates so to speak, all the things that were crawling under his skin were so much more tangible. Last time they'd gotten a drink together, Katie said that at the day school where she taught flying and broomstick maintenance, children were vanishing—they just didn't come to school anymore and the teachers were told not to worry. And Alicia worked at a broomstick maker on Diagon Alley and she saw convicted Death Eaters meant to be in Azkaban walking around proudly, shamelessly, and it drove her and Angelina mad because they all knew a Death Eater had tried to kill Katie in her seventh year and apparently that was all nice and fine. Marcus Flint, as much of a tool as he was and as little as Oliver liked him, was missing. He'd seen Professor Lupin just yesterday when they'd been running errands, and even if his old teacher had reported some good and happy news he'd looked worse than ever, and a passerby had been bold enough to heckle him. One of his teammates had been dating a nice Muggleborn girl before this had all started and Potterwatch had just reported that she was dead, and so he'd spent his entire day with him.

All these things, and Percy wanted him to care that they'd finally figured out who on his floor was hoarding all the spare quills from the supply cabinet. Worst, expected him to.

Percy's eyes widened behind his glasses.

"Oliver..?"

"How can you talk to me about your day as if you _just _work at the Ministry for Magic? As if you're not basically working for You-Know-who?" Oliver asked.

"_Oliver," _Percy hissed.

"I get it," Oliver said. "Okay? I get that you keep working there and that you need to play it cool to stay safe and avoid getting marked up as an Undesirable. But when you're around me and it's just us shut up about it, okay? Just shut up. Because I hate hearing you talk as if everything's okay."

Percy clenched his jaw for a second before responding in a slow, measured tone.

"Panic doesn't help anybody," he said.

"That's a platitude," Oliver said.

"Look, if we just keep calm…"

"Keep calm and carry on doesn't work if people are dying," Oliver said. His heart clenched in his chest. "Do you really believe that, Percy? That you can just keep your head down and that that's enough?"

"I don't know what else you want me to do. My family's already marked me as a potential Undesirable," Percy said, hazel eyes hammering into Oliver.

"Yeah they are, because they've got a history of doing the right thing," Oliver said. "They did it even before everybody knew that You-Know-Who was back—and I supported you, when you broke apart from them, even if I didn't agree, but why didn't you go back to them Percy? Why? That's always bothered me but now it's driving me mad."

"I have to be careful," his boyfriend said quietly.

"Yeah Percy, everyone's got to be careful," Oliver said. "I just wish you didn't look so happy about it."

"What are you saying?" Percy said defensively.

"Nothing that should have bothered you if you really meant all that stuff about keeping calm and carrying on without supporting the regime," Oliver said.

"Are you calling me a Death Eater?" Percy asked.

"No, I'm calling you passive," Oliver said. "Because at least that bloodthirsty lot of lunatics stands for something and see what they're doing to the world."

He looked down to the plate of food he no longer had any appetite for and then got up from the table.

"Where are you going?" Percy asked.

"I'm getting some air," Oliver said. "Then I think I'm going to go sleep somewhere else because I… I don't think I want to be with you anymore, if you're not going to be as bothered as I am."

"Oliver…" Percy said.

"What?" Oliver asked. "Am I wrong?"

Percy didn't answer.

"Watch me walk away then," Oliver said.

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**Stacked with: **MC4A; Hogwarts; Shipping War

**Individual Challenge(s): **Gryffindor MC (x2); Seeds; Golden Times; Old Shoes; Themes & Things A (Change); Themes & Things B (Corruption); Themes & Things E (Table); Themes & Things F (Courage); Rian-Russo Inversion; Flags & Ribbons; In a Flash; Rowl in Her Grave; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux

**Word Count: **834


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